At least three people have been killed after Cyclone Arnab made landfall on India’s east coast, causing widespread damage and bringing heavy rainfall and wind speeds of up to 135 km/h (84mph).

Trees fell onto highways and power supplies were disrupted after Arnab crossed into Andhra Pradesh early on Wednesday morning.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 4More than 100 foreign trekkers stranded by floods in Nepal’s Gorkha region
• list 2 of 4Rescue efforts continue as Nepal-China flood death toll rises to 1,280
• list 3 of 4Why Nepal is demanding climate justice and compensation after deadly floods
• list 4 of 4India evacuates tens of thousands as ‘very severe’ Cyclone Arnab nears

Narendra Singh Bundela, a top official at the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), told reporters that three people lost their lives when the storm hit and confirmed Andhra Pradesh was the worst affected.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said in a letter to federal Home Minister Amit Shah that at least 180 houses were destroyed, 220 trees were brought down and power supply in several areas was disrupted.

Officials in Naidu’s office told Reuters that two of the deaths were caused by a tree falling and electrocution.

At least 180,000 people were evacuated from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha states a day earlier. Flights and train services were cancelled, and some schools were forced to close.

Authorities say more than 12 million people live in the cyclone’s expected path.

One resident of Kakinada district in Andhra Pradesh, in Arnab’s path, said: “No one knew whose house the water would rush into next or whose home would be submerged.”

India’s Meteorological Department forecast a storm surge of up to 1.5m above the tide level, warning that it was likely to submerge low-lying areas in Andhra Pradesh.

‘Very severe cyclonic storm’

Arnab made landfall as a “very severe cyclonic storm” – the third-highest category on its scale, before being downgraded to “severe” after moving further inland.